Four months after obstructing the Suez Canal and thus causing widespread disruption of global sea freight, the container ship Ever-Given arrived, Thursday, July 29, at the port of Rotterdam, the Netherlands. “It was a great relief to see him and a special moment”, said Hans Nagtegaal, container manager at the port.
“Finally, we can do the unloading job and hopefully get it back to a normal sailing routine”, he also clarified. The 400-meter-long, 200,000-tonne capacity vessel will remain in Rotterdam until Monday, before heading to Felixstowe, UK. Then he will join a dry dock in Dunkirk, France, where he will be subject to additional examinations, said Nagtegaal.
Due to difficult weather conditions, the ship came to rest across the Suez Canal on March 23, blocking maritime traffic – which accounts for around 10% of world trade. Large clearance operations had been carried out over six days and had required the help of a dozen tugs, as well as dredges to dig the bottom of the canal.
Between $ 12 and $ 15 million in daily loss
THE’Ever-Given was then taken to the great Amer Lake, in the center of the canal, by the Egyptian authorities, who demanded compensation from the shipowner, for the loss of earnings caused by the accident, the cost of the rescue and the damage caused to the ship. channel. Cairo had thus first claimed 916 million dollars (or approximately 767 million euros), before revising its claims downwards, to 600 then to 550 million dollars. But the final amount is the subject of tough negotiations.
According to the Suez Canal Authority (SCA), Egypt lost between 12 and 15 million dollars (10 and almost 13 million euros) per day of closure. In April, the maritime data company Lloyd’s List estimated that the blockade of the Suez Canal had prevented, every day, the passage of cargoes estimated at 9.6 billion dollars (8 billion euros) between Asia and Europe.
THE’Ever-Given had finally resumed its journey three weeks ago, after a hundred days of immobilization and the signing of a confidential compensation agreement.